Rep. Kathleen Willis, D-Northlake, center, House sponsor of SB 1657, watches as the measure to regulate the licensing of gun dealers in the state passes the House, Feb. 29, 2018, at the Capitol in Springfield. Sen. Don Harmon, D-Oak Park, sponsor of the bill in the Senate, steps in to congratulate Willis.

Rep. Kathleen Willis, D-Northlake, center, House sponsor of SB 1657, watches as the measure to regulate the licensing of gun dealers in the state passes the House, Feb. 29, 2018, at the Capitol in Springfield. Sen. Don Harmon, D-Oak Park, sponsor of the bill in the Senate, steps in to congratulate Willis.

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Topspin

Even as gun control advocates rallied under the Capitol dome, Democrats said they're still looking for the votes they'd need to override Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner's veto of a gun store licensing bill.

Speaking from a podium in the the decorative statehouse rotunda, Democratic Sen. Don Harmon of Oak Park told demonstrators on Wednesday that he needs “every ounce” of their help to build support among suburban lawmakers.

“They don’t listen to Democrats from Oak Park or from the city of Chicago, but they listen to moms in their districts. They’ll listen to students in their districts,” Harmon said.

He said he is still working to get enough votes to override Rauner's veto. The Senate deadline to vote is April 25, and Harmon said he's hoping for a vote next week. Democratic state Rep. Kathleen Willis of Addison, the bill’s House sponsor, said she was still about seven votes short in that chamber.

The proposal would set up a system for the state to license gun stores. Opponents have called it duplicative and unnecessary because the federal government already requires a license to sell firearms, and Rauner has said the proposal would do little to improve public safety.

Overriding him may prove difficult. The bill passed the Senate with 30 votes and the House with 64 votes. Overriding the governor would take 36 votes in the Senate and 71 in the House.

Lawmakers typically divide on gun issues based on regional lines as well as political ones. Downstate Democrats who represent more rural districts with a strong hunting background are less likely to favor gun control than their suburban Republican colleagues.

Among the dozens of gun control advocates to visit the Capitol on Wednesday was Mary Kay Mace, whose 19-year-old daughter, Ryanne, was one of the five students killed in the Northern Illinois University shooting on Valentine’s Day 2008.

“It’s funny because a lot of people don’t even remember that there was a mass shooting at one of our own schools here in Illinois. … It’s disheartening at times how few people actually remember that that happened,” she said, wearing a button with her daughter’s photograph on her shirt. “I’m here to remind them.” (Bill Lukitsch)

What’s on tap

*Mayor Rahm Emanuel's schedule wasn't available.

*Gov. Bruce Rauner is on a trade mission to Poland and Germany.

*The Illinois House and Senate are in session.

*A group called Healthy and Productive Illinois will hold a downtown news conference to oppose legalizing marijuana.

From the notebook

*Also under the dome: The House and Senate are considering measures to allow towns to restrict assault weapons and ban bump stocks, which accelerate the rate at which a gun can fire.

*Republican lawmakers unveiled legislation that would allow voters in counties with property tax caps to place a question on the ballot asking if they’d like to lower property taxes. Under current law, voters can weigh in on whether to raise taxes, but not lower them.

*House lawmakers voted in favor of legislation that would add information about the “Dutch Reach” to the state’s Rules of the Road handbook for drivers. The reach is a technique in which a driver uses their right hand to open a car door, forcing their upper body to turn and look to the side. The idea is to prevent “dooring” accidents in which a cyclist crashes into a vehicle door that’s suddenly flung open.

*The House also approved a bill that would have schools develop policies to allow parents or caregivers to administer medical marijuana to students. The proposal is named “Ashley’s Law” for Ashley Surin, a Schaumburg student whose parents filed suit in order to allow her to use medical marijuana at school to treat seizures related to leukemia. (Monique Garcia)

In a letter to the speaker, Bustos writes that it is critical for the group to find a way to pay for itself and be independent from Madigan's state Democratic Party.

But because she holds federal office and the other two committee members hold state office, "we have determined that it would be impracticable for me to serve on an independently funded Anti-Harassment, Equality, and Access Panel," the Moline Democrat wrote.

"As such, I am regretfully withdrawing from participating in this effort before it transitions from an idea to a legal entity," she wrote.

Bustos' departure leaves state Comptroller Susana Mendoza and Rep. Carol Ammons of Urbana in the group.

*Quick spin: U.S. Sen. Tammy Duckworth will be allowed to bring her new daughter on the Senate floor after senators agreed to allow infants during votes.